Article packing apparatus



March 28, 1961 J. R. FLANAGAN ETAL ARTICLE PACKING APPARATUS l9 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 17, 1958 INVENTORS yww 5' e aazww ATTORNEYS s m o Q0 til-1t 1r March 28, 1961 J. R. FLANAGAN ETAL 2,976,659

ARTICLE PACKING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 17, 1 958 19 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N VEN TORS away a IZIIIWJ? 1F, b'agbes Wm M M 7 ATTORNEYS March 1961 J. R. FLANAGAN El'AL 2,976,659

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ARTICLE PACKING APPARATUS l9 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 17, 1958 I N VE N TORS James 1?. Ila/1 0! 12 2/10.)? 1?, 1594005 BY %Mg% ATTORNEYS ll Eng 3 March 28, 1961 J. R. FLANAGAN ET AL 2,976,659

V ARTICLE PACKING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 17, 1958 19 Sheets-Sheet 5 I Pinw- M MAM ATTORNEYS March 1951 J. R. FLANAGAN ET AL 2,976,659

ARTICLE PACKING APPARATUS l9 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Sept. 17, 1958 INVENTORS ya m d femmse A". llaapes BY a 1 WMWQM March 28, 1961 Filed Sept. 17, 1958 J. R. FLANAGAN ETAL ARTICLE PACKING APPARATUS 19 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVENTORS James-A? limmywm 1 z mmsejl. fibqpes ATTORNEYS March 28, 1961 Filed Sept. 17, 1958 J. R. FLANAGAN ET AL 2,976,659

ARTICLE PACKING APPARATUS l9 Sheets-Sheet 8 Q INVENTORS' Q Jiwesfl;

13 M105? fiagags BY I 1 ATTORNEYS I March 28, 1961 J. R. FLANAGAN ETAL 2,976,659

ARTICLE PACKING APPARATUS l9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed Sept. 17, 1958 l l I I I l r1| l ll INVENTORS James 1?. [la/WWW lmmse/E My 3 March 28, 1961 FLANAGAN ET AL 2,976,659

ARTICLE PACKING APPARATUS Filed Sept 19 Sheets-Sheet 1O INVENTORS Z Jam; [If/hw @1 ATTORNEYS March 28, 1961 J, FLANAGAN r L 2,976,659

ARTICLE PACKING APPARATUS l9 Sheets-Sheet 12 Filed Sept. 17, 1958 $951.2:

INVENTORS James 1?, flmmqqmm flwzwse 1B [Yaqaes ATTORNEY? March 1961 J; R. FLANAGAN ETAL 2,976,659

ARTICLE PACKING APPARATUS l9 Sheets-Sheet 13 Filed Sept. 17, 1958 aimszf/Zwywf lmmeigms A h w A w A A b J. R. FLANAGAN El'AL 2,976,659

March 28, 1961 ARTICLE PACKING APPARATUS l9 Sheets-Sheet 14 Filed Sept. 17, 1958 ATTORNEYS March 28, 1961 J, FLANAGAN ETAL 2,976,659

ARTICLE PACKING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 17, 1958 19 Sheets-Sheet 15 /50 INVENTOR? I final/M /5 ll/ms'eflfiqws ATTORNEYS March 28, 1961 J FLANAGAN ETAL 2,976,659

ARTICLE PACKING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 17, 1958 19 Sheets-Sheet 16 ATTORNEYS March 28, 1961 J. R. FLANAGAN ETAL 2,976,659

ARTICLE PACKING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 17, 1958 19 Sheets-Sheet 17 INVENTORS Jams 11; flwmqymfy ATTORNEYS March 28, 1961 J. R. FLANAGAN El'AL 2,976,659

ARTICLE PACKING APPARATUS 19 Sheets-Sheet 18 Filed Sept. 17, 1958 I OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOGOOO ATTORNEYS M h 19 J. R. FLANAGAN ET AL 2,976,659

ARTICLE PACKING APPARATUS l9 Sheets-Sheet 19 Filed Sept. 17, 1958 AS vii 1770a 1N VENTORS A; [WWII/W10 i .23. @mwix $6 obkm A um

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ARTICLE PACKING APPARATUS James R. Flanagan, Marlton, Nil, and Penrose R. Hoopes, Philadelphia, Pa., assignors to Stephen F. Whitman and Son, Incorporated, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Sept. 17, 1958, Set. N 761,561

40 Claims. (Cl. 53-237) This invention relates to machines for packing candy, and particularly to machines for accumulating and as sembling the items necessary to make up candy packages of the type in which the candy is placed in glassine cups, and the cups arranged in rows, in one or more layers, in boxes, or trays. The invention also relates to some of the mechanisms which form part of such a machine.

It is more or less standard practice to pack certain candies, particularly chocolates, by placing the candy pieces in glassine cups and arranging the cupped pieces in boxes. In certain cases, such as with chocolate covered mints which are relatively thin, itis common practice to place two or three pieces of candy in superimposed relation in a single glassine cup. These are placed in trays which are later put in boxes, or the trays wrapped, or the trays form the bottoms of elongated boxes over which covers are placed. These operations have been performed by hand, and consequently, add considerably to the cost of the package.

it is the general object of the present invention to provide a machine which will automatically place a plurality of glassine cups in a tray, or box bottom, and fill the cups with one or more candy pieces as desired.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a machine which will accumulate and assemble in close adjacency a row of glassine cups and deposit the cups in a tray or box which is moved under the assembling mechanism.

Another object is the provision of a machine having such assembling mechanism which operates in a plurality of stages, and provides a very rapidly operating device by accumulating several cup rows at one time and performing the several stage operations on the different assemblies simultaneously.

A further object is to provide unique means for separating by mechanical means for delivery one glassine, or similar type cup from a stack of such cups held with in a magazine.

Yet another object is to provide means for accumulating and assembling a row of cups, which means may be utilized to supply cups in rows of difierent number as desired.

A still further object is to provide a candy packing machine which will move a heterogeneous mass of candy to be packed, and arrange it in predetermined numbers of columns for packing, with the movement being quite gentle so that the candy will not be harmed.

Still another object is to provide such a machine wherein candy is lifted from a source of supply and deposited in rows in receptacles placed to receive the candy pieces.

Another object is to provide such a machine for packing candy wherein the basic movements of the machine relate to the placement of articles by rows, so that by replacement of certain parts the machine may be rendered operative to the'packing of rows of diiferent numbers of elements.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the tollowingdescription of one practical embodinited States Fatent :ient thereof, when taken in conjunction with the drawings which accompany, and form part of, this specification.

In the drawings:

Figures 1a and lb together illustrate the front elevation of a candy packing machine constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figures 2a and 2b together illustrate the machine in p Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section through the ma chine, showing a part of the drive and the general mounting of the cup accumulating and assembly mechanism, and is taken on the line 3-3 of Figure la;

Figure 4 is a detail view of a part of the drive and the cup accumulating mechanism, taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 3 with the cup accumulating mechanism in its lowered position; I

Figure 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4, showing in particular the drive for the indexing dial at the cup accumulating station;

Figure 6 is a horizontal section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 4;

' Figure 7 is a horizontal section through the cup accumulating mechanism and its drive and is taken substantially on the line 7-7 of Figure la;

Figure 8 is a view partly in end elevation and partly in vertical section illustrating further details of the accumulator drive and is taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a detail view showing the accumulator position control means, taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 7, illustrating the mechanism in its raised position in full lines and its intermediate position in dotted lines;

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 9 showing the mechanism in its fully lowered position;

Figure ll is a horizontal section through the drive mechanism for the accumulator, illustrating particularly the upper lock and positioning member, and is taken on the line 11-11 of Figure 9;

Figure 12 is a view similar to Figure 11, but showing the bottom lock, and is taken onthe line 12-12 of Figure 10;

Figure 13 is a view which is partially in top plan and partially in horizontal section through one of the cup holding magazines;

Figure 14 is a vertical section through the lower portion of one of the magazines, and is taken on the line 14-14 of Figure 13;

Figure 15 is an exploded perspective view of one of the cup retaining rods of the magazine, the cup holding arms at the lower end of the rod and appurtenant mechanisms;

Figure 16 is a vertical section taken on the line 16-16 of Figure 7, illustrating the cup accumulating mechanism in its raised position, with the lower cup of the stack being held against the cup placement arms of the ac cumulator head by the cup holding arms of the magazine;

Figure 17 is a view similar to Figure 16, illustrating the mechanism after vacuum has been applied to the head to retain the cup and the cup holding arms have moved to stack-retaining position;

Figure 18 is a view of the same mechanism with the accumulator drive having been rotated to lower the accumulator cup placement arms and with the entire -accumulator head partially lowered;

Figure 19 is a'similar view'with the accumulator head in its fully lowered position;

Figure 20 is a vertical transverse section through the machine at the first candy loading station, taken on the line 20-20 of Figurela;

Figure 21 is a view similar to the upper portion of Figure 20 but showing the mechanism in position for 

